Posted this in the Pens' section as DB is going to get some votes, but really thinking MT probably wins. Habs were such crap last year and now they finish 2nd overall in the East and win their division. Jack Capuano is going to get some votes as will Quennville and BB, but I think MT probably edges it out in a pretty tight vote.

relantel wrote:the way the Habs closed the season, hard to see MT winning the award.

True, but they ended up winning their division and finishing 2nd overall in the East and that's after last year's disaster pre-MT. The fact that MT is the coach of the Montreal Canadians doesn't hurt either in this kind of vote.

Paul MacLean in Ottawa should probably win it. Michel Therrien and Bruce Boudreau should be in the running as well. On wins alone: Quenneville and Bylsma will get a couple of looks too I believe...fringe/homers votes will probably go to Oates, Capuano, Carlyle and Babcock.

I don't think people realize the magnitude of losing an elite HHOF d-man like Lidstrom. That's such a huge chunk of your game plan and it didn't help that Brendan Smith (thought to be the transition successor) kind of stunk this year...

Doug Harvey with Montreal: The Habs were a Stanley Cup winner or participant from 10 straight years (!) from 1951-1960. Harvey leaves in 1961 and they don't return until 1965 (which is when Jacques Laperriere stepped in and really vaulted himself into the league's elite quickly, but his career was later cut short by injury).

Ray Bourque with Boston: Made the playoffs all but one year in his 20 years in Boston, twice a SC Finalist. He leaves and the Bruins either missed the playoffs or were ousted in the first round from 2000 to 2008.

Denis Potvin with the Islanders: Joined the team in 1974. From 1975 to 1984, the expansion Islanders advanced at least two rounds in the playoffs each year, appearing in five Finals, winning four. They continued to make the playoffs until Potvin left in 1988. After Potvin, the Isles missed the playoffs entirely 10 of the next 13 seasons.

There's nothing more important to a team than an elite #1 d-man, and losing one can be very tough to recover from...having him on the fringes of the top-10 coaches in the league this year is not insane. That's just above average, which I think is fair...